New Orleans Saints lose aura of invincibility:

this is a discussion within the Saints Community Forum; Well, you can't say no one saw this coming.
Dallas Cowboy linebacker DeMarcus Ware forces New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees to fumble in the final seconds, ensuring the team's first loss of the season, 24-17 Saturday night at the ...

Dallas Cowboy linebacker DeMarcus Ware forces New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees to fumble in the final seconds, ensuring the team's first loss of the season, 24-17 Saturday night at the Superdome.
Roy Williams certainly did.
The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver said last week if Dallas packed its bags and showed up in New Orleans on Saturday night it would leave victorious. And the Cowboys made Williams look like a soothsaying swami after their thoroughly convincing 24-17 upset of the New Orleans Saints before 70,234 dispirited fans at the Superdome.
This was no fluke. The better team won. Dallas dominated the Saints in every phase of the game for most of four quarters. They never trailed and won nearly every statistical matchup on both sides of the ball. Only a stupefying Suisham-esque missed field goal by Cowboys kicker Nick Folk made things interesting.
This time, though, there was no miraculous comeback or timely turnover. This time there was only frustration -- and, of course, disappointment.
In the span of three dispiriting hours, the Saints saw their run at an historic unbeaten season abruptly end and their stronghold on the No. 1 playoff seed loosen considerably.
"That's disappointing," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. "You just don't know how many chances you're going to get at that. To get as close as we did -- 13-0 with three games to play in the regular season -- that's tough. I feel like we fought so hard to get where we were at. I just feel like we deserved it, and the city deserved it and the organization deserved it. We wanted to make it happen for all of them."

The Saints lost more than a football game and a shot at an unbeaten season. They lost their aura of invincibility. Every NFC contender who watched the game saw enough to feel confident they can duplicate Dallas' dominance should they face the Saints in the postseason.
The pursuit of perfection is over. The mission now is simple: Hunt for home field.
The Saints must win their final two games to guarantee home-field advantage in the playoffs. Beat the Bucs, punch out the Panthers and everything is still in place for them. All of their preseason goals remain attainable: the No. 1 seed in the playoffs; the NFC championship and a Super Bowl crown.
But none of those are guaranteed, especially with the way the Saints are playing these days.
The Saints haven't smelled greatness in weeks. They were fortunate to beat Washington and had to fight for their lives to hold off Atlanta. Saturday night they simply were no match for a determined and emotional Cowboys club that refused to wilt under the enormous pressure down the stretch.
In no way, shape or form did the Saints look like the team that rolled its first 13 opponents and pounded the Patriots here four weeks ago. As good and well-prepared as the Saints looked in their last prime-time appearance, they looked as bad and poorly-prepared on Saturday night.
"We've got to do a better job, starting with me," Saints Coach Sean Payton said.
Payton wasn't the only one who struggled. The Saints were outgained 439 to 336 in total yardage and converted an uncharacteristically poor one of seven third downs. Defensively, they were strafed through the air for third consecutive week and failed to force a turnover for the first time this season.
The Saints punted on their first three series of the game and fell into a gaping 14-0 hole of which they never could extricate themselves.
"For us, it was just one of those nights where things weren't quite clicking," Brees said. "They out-executed us today."
The Saints are not the same team they were earlier this season. They played Dallas with three starters on the inactive list and finished it with two more - Randall Gay and Reggie Bush - on the sideline.
While trying to secure the No. 1 playoff seed, Payton must try to restore the health of his hobbled roster. Cornerback Tracy Porter and linebacker Scott Fujita returned to action against the Cowboys and both played well. Now the Saints must get Sedrick Ellis, Jabari Greer and Jeremy Shockey to join them on the field for their postseason push.
"It was a tough loss for us," Payton said. "We'll digest it. It'll sting a little bit going down."
At least three Saints players hosted pre-planned private parties at various nightspots round town after the game. I'm guessing the disappointing loss and squandered shot at history tempered the merriment at each shindig.
"You've got to be able to take a negative and turn it into a positive," Brees said. "Certainly we did not play our best game tonight. They played better than us. Moving forward we understand what's on the horizon. We're just excited to get back on the field and kind of make up for what happened today."

The Saints are not the same team they were earlier this season. They played Dallas with three starters on the inactive list and finished it with two more - Randall Gay and Reggie Bush - on the sideline.
While trying to secure the No. 1 playoff seed, Payton must try to restore the health of his hobbled roster. Cornerback Tracy Porter and linebacker Scott Fujita returned to action against the Cowboys and both played well. Now the Saints must get Sedrick Ellis, Jabari Greer and Jeremy Shockey to join them on the field for their postseason push.

Payton is not a witch doctor.

Yes, the team needs to be healthy. Fortunately, winning the Dallas game was a luxury. Now we need to cure the hangover against TB and go to a hostile Carolina.